Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Change of Seasons (Reluctantly)

We spent two weeks getting Chad situated at the local college. Two classes this time but it seemed to take forever before we were done. And then, for the icing on the cake, we received a bill in the mail, saying we owed the tuition on one of the classes with a $50 late fee slapped on to boot! It seems that when we registered for that class, the clerk forgot to run our credit card. Fortunately, the staff I spoke to about it straightened everything out and waived the late fee. We began our first day of school the last week of September and that has been going well, slow to start as I am still figuring out where we need to fill in gaps and order some new things. But, really, right now I want to remember what my kids did this summer.

Chad and Alec each entered something at our county fair this year. Chad entered a Lego creation and won first place in his age group. I was very proud of him as he is not usually interested in this kind of thing and winning was icing on the cake. Alec's creation was made out of recycled materials (which was the category he entered) and he won first place in his age group, then went on to win Reserve Champion. He was beaten out of Grand Champion by a cookie jar-type object made completely our of deer bones (ugh!) It was, um, interesting and the guy who won was nice and very happy to win. Alec's creation was a diorama of the Titanic ship, showing it in its glory days on the water on one side and how it looks now, under water and covered in algae, including a mini sub floating nearby. His diorama showed the ice berg with the damage it did just before the Titanic started to sink. Creating miniatures is a hobby of Alec's and he's really very good. His current interest in the Titanic has lasted all year and winning with this art project was really special. I am proud of both boys.

Carmen sent in a caption for an elephant to say, as it was leaning on its hind legs against a tree. The magazine, Nature Friend, was holding this contest and when Carmen came up with her caption, I told her to go ahead and send it in. Weren't we all surprised when she was one of the five winners! There it was, on the back cover of the magazine. She was very, very happy and I, of course, was very proud and pleased for her. Alec entered a drawing of his "Dream House" to a contest that Highlights magazine was having and we were all amazed that his was one of twelve chosen! When I encourage my kids to enter contests, it's with the expectation that there are a lot of entries so winning is not probably, just possible. What fun to see them both have something published! I know how fun that is to see my words in print (however small an item!!) and I'm so thankful and pleased that they have had that opportunity (and, o.k., proud!) What I take from this is that I need to encourage them in their writing/drawing skills, to continue to improve both for the fun and pleasure it brings but also perhaps to make a living at someday.

2 comments:

How wonderful that your kids have all won things lately! That's always nice. I'm also happy to hear that there is another kid taking up miniatures. I got my first dollhouse when I was 12, and by the time I was a teenager I had built my own wizard's cottage complete with a wizard doll. I still have that creation, although it is sadly in need of a few repairs. Yes, even miniature homes need hinges fixed and floors swept from time to time!

Marina told me about Chad's difficulties. Nothing is easy with college, is it. I hope he settled in now and enjoys his classes!

About Me

I'm a homeschool mom who enjoys writing, walking and loving my family. I'm married to a trend-setting male nurse and have three active, creative and talkative kids, all of which I find extremely interesting.